"Torchwood" Finally Goes Where Sci-Fi Hasn't Gone

Doctor Who has been Britain's primary science fiction masterpiece for the last five decades, and tells the continuing adventures of a “Time Lord” known simply by the moniker “The Doctor” who travels through space and time setting certain historical events right, and saving the known universe again and again. There is a unique convention on the series that allows The Doctor his longevity, and this is his ability to regenerate. In other words, whenever The Doctor dies, he simply is transformed into a new man and gets a completely new lease on life (this is also the reason so many different men have portrayed the character over the years).

The Doctor is seldom seen alone and often acquires “companions” in his travels that help him thwart evil and save the day. Captain Jack, when we first meet him on Doctor Who (in an episode entitled “The Empty Child”), is a time traveler much like The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and his current companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Though The Doctor is hardly ever romantically involved with his companions, it is commonplace for them to develop feelings for him.

But where The Doctor is mostly motivated by altruism, Captain Jack uses time travel solely for profit. He is a hustler and something of a charming rogue (think a bisexual Han Solo). In fact, in the first scene in which Jack is introduced, he comments on Rose having a “nice ass”, but then also slaps a male military friend of his on the derriere while making a comment about getting to him later.

Throughout the series, Captain Jack's sexuality on Doctor Who is shown in such a congenial way that it is more “matter of fact” than an issue that must be dealt with. When Rose does bring it up at one point, The Doctor explains that Jack comes from the 51 st century, which is a much more enlightened time and people are more open to all manner of experiences.

 

In the five episodes of Doctor Who's first season in which Jack appears, The Doctor, Rose and he have adventures and bond together and in the process basically make Jack The Doctor's first openly queer companion. In the first season's finale, however, Captain Jack meets his demise at the hands, or rather blasters, of the Daleks, an alien race bent on exterminating humanity.

Jack is revived by the mysterious time traveling energies of the Tardis (The Doctor's time traveling ship), and when next we see him, he is on his own series, Torchwood (which is itself an anagram for “Doctor Who”). The explanation for this gap in time and how Jack got involved with a British government agency policing aliens is not explained until the third season of Doctor Who. So for now, just enjoy the ride and know that answers do come further down the line.

Torchwood was created by Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner out of a great fan reaction to the popularity of the Captain Jack character, and places Jack in charge of his own team based out of Cardiff, Wales in the United Kingdom . Now in charge himself, Jack is somewhat less fun loving than he was on Doctor Who, but still manages to retain some of his more charming roguish qualities.

Says Barrowman in an interview with AfterElton.com about the transition between series, “The one thing that really struck people was his attitude, his carefree attitude let's say, when he was on series one of Doctor Who. Russell T. Davies had to establish in series one of Torchwood the dark side of Jack because he had a lot of issues he had to resolve and questions that he wanted answered.”

In real life, Barrowman is an out actor who recently married his long-time partner, British architect Scott Gill. Barrowman continues to break new ground not only as an actor who is out and still playing leading men, but also in portraying some of the most tender same-sex, on-screen relationships seen on television.